Family Connections Of Northeast Ohio

Family school connection provides school-based, community based and home-visiting family literacy and support services designed to promote school success, social emotional learning, and parental engagement. We are currently working with the cleveland heights-university heights school district, local libraries, non profit organizational partners and individual public schools affiliated with the cleveland metropolitan school district.

Family connections of northeast ohio provides three family playrooms, in partnership with 2 local libraries, shaker heights public library and cleveland heights-university heights public library and the greater cleveland foodbank. Our family playrooms are free and open to the public from any community. They are designed to support parents and the development of young children ages birth through five. Parents/caregiver and children play together and with others to strengthen social skills, develop early literacy and school readiness skills. A weekly program called baby & me is for parents and caregivers with babies' birth to 12 months to offer the specialized support and information so needed for families during the first year. It is an opportunity for parents to break their isolation and discover they are not alone in their challenges and concerns. Parent support specialists are ready to provide important guidance and resources to reassure new parents. We also offer 2 virtual programs. A music program and a parent discussion group. Both are very popular, and the families find them fun and helpful.

Family connections forged a partnership with united way and invest in children providing foundational staff support and consultation on the initiation of familyspace programs in four libraries - two within the cuyahoga county public library and two within the cleveland public library. While family connections staff do not work in these spaces, the organization provided significant support to the design and startup of these programs and continues to participate in regular implementation meetings. Family connections received modest contract revenue for its contribution of staff time and resources to the program.

Additional parenting support includes offering the parent cafe program that encourages parents and caregivers of children of all ages to share and learn from each other in a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Families discuss a variety of topics that include child development, positive discipline, selfcare, stress reduction and more. The parent cafe model is based on the five protective factors identified by the center for the study of social policy https://cssp.org/.